McCaffery: Dejean-Jones arrest won't affect Iowa's preparation

Bryce Dejean-Jones (13) is hugged by teammate Naz Long, left. Monte Morris (11) also is pictured. Dejean-Jones has been a central part of the Iowa State team in a 6-1 start.(Photo: David Purdy, Getty Images)

Whether Bryce Dejean-Jones plays Friday night against Iowa won't be a factor in how the Hawkeyes approach the 14th-ranked Cyclones, coach Fran McCaffery said Thursday morning.

"It won't affect it," McCaffery said. "Our preparation is going to be exactly the same no matter what."

Dejean-Jones, who averages 17.1 points a game, was arrested for hosting a drug house around 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning, according to Ames police. The primary serious-misdemeanor charge was dropped shortly after an 11 a.m. court appearance, but two noise-related simple misdemeanors were pending.

Dejean-Jones' status for Friday's 7:06 p.m. game against Iowa (8-2) was not immediately announced. Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg was scheduled to meet the media around 4 p.m. Thursday.

"If he doesn't play, they've got a lot of terrific options," McCaffery said. "(Matt) Thomas is terrific. I really like (Abdel) Nader. (Daniel) Edozie is a really good player. They've got players on the bench that can play."

Dejean-Jones, a 6-foot-6 UNLV transfer, has been one of Iowa State's hottest players of late. He scored 27 points on 8-for-8 shooting in a Dec. 4 win over Arkansas, then scored 22 on 9-of-12 shooting Tuesday in a win over Missouri-Kansas City.

The Hawkeyes expect a challenge from Iowa State (6-1), with or without Dejean-Jones. They've lost four of the last five in the series, including 85-82 last year in Ames.